Abstract
Zirconia and alumina ceramics restorative materials were treated with laser interference direct structuring using the third harmonic of a short pulse Nd:YAG and tested in a three-point bending test to measure the flexural strength.
The surface was restructured in a periodic line like pattern with controlled surface porosity and a surface composite pattern. The composite consist of two different defect states rather than different phase compositions. The resulting mechanical properties are a function of the number of laser pulses, laser energy, and angle in between the laser beams defining the periodic feature distance. This composite effect is comparable with a laminate showing increasing stiffness with decreasing layer thickness. The material�s fracture strength could be controlled through the three mentioned laser parameters and in an initial study significantly improved by up to 50% from initial 422 MPa to 630 MPa for alumina and 833 MPa to 1250 MPa for zirconia.